


Darkest Depths

by umbralillium



Series: Teen Magic [2]
Category: Practical Magic, teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2013-08-27
Packaged: 2017-12-24 20:50:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/umbralillium/pseuds/umbralillium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The darkest depths of our souls hold our most selfish wishes. There is no shame in wanting them; the shame is in giving in to them when their consequences can reach beyond our control.</p><p>(or in which Stiles wants to try a spell that never ends well)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Darkest Depths

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during the four months prior to the epilogue of If You Ever Did Believe.

Stiles isn’t nearly as sneaky as he likes to think he is. Gillian saw the way he lingered over one specific page of the grimoire. A page that, in Gillian’s opinion, should have been torn from the book and burned. They’ve all caught him muttering to himself about decomposition after eight years.

Gillian wakes in the middle of the night and finds Stiles downstairs in the conservatory, the book opened to That Page. “Don’t,” Gillian says, voice flat. There’s no enjoyment when Stiles jumps and turns to face her.

“I’ve been researching it, I know I can do it,” Stiles replies. There’s a manic glint in his eye, a desperate hope. “Sure, we’ll have to come up with a cover story for why she’s back, but—“

“Don’t,” Gillian says again. Her voice cracks this time and she can feel her hands shaking.

“Just trust me,” Stiles begs. “I know—“

“Do you have any idea what kind of forces you’re messing with?” Jet asks and they turn to see her in the doorway leading out to the patio, silhouetted against the night sky. “Don’t you think all of us have thought about it? Thought about bringing back someone we loved that was gone? It doesn’t matter how much research you do, what story you come up with, how closely you follow the steps, something will _always_ go wrong. Whoever it is, they will come back wrong.”

“I can do it,” Stiles insists desperately.

“You think I don’t want her back for you?” Gillian asks, reaching a shaking hand out to Stiles who backs away, clutching the book to his chest. “You think I don’t want her back for your dad? But this… no, Stiles. What’s dead should stay dead.”

“We’ve all lost someone, Stiles,” Sally says quietly. “I had a husband before Gary, Aunt Frances had Ethan, Gillian had Jimmy. We’ve all been here and we’re all telling you, from experience, don’t do this.”

Stiles stares at Gillian. “I thought Jimmy—“

“He raped me, he hurt me, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love him,” Gillian answers quietly. “And, if he came back, Sally wouldn’t go to jail, the girls wouldn’t be left to the aunts. You can come up with as many justifications as you want, Przemek, but there is no _good_ reason to bring someone back, no matter who they are, what they mean to you, or what they’ve done.”

“No, don’t. You don’t get—“

“I begged the aunts to bring my Michael back,” Sally cuts in, advancing into the room towards Stiles. “They said ‘no.’ I didn’t say no to Gillian when she asked.”

Stiles turns a stubborn, betrayed look on Gillian. “If you did it, why can’t I?”

“Because he wasn’t _right_ ,” Gillian answers, hoping Stiles will _listen_ and understand. “He wasn’t right before he died and he was worse when he came back. Sally and I killed him again, and even after that he haunted us, he _possessed_ me. It took a lot of power to send him back, an entire coven.”

“Afterwards, things were drawn by the power we used,” Frances says from the kitchen doorway behind Gillian. “Gillian was in California, so she was safe, but we fought so many dark and horrible things for months. Do you see now, Stiles?” she asks gently, approaching him slowly. “Do you see why we can’t let you do this? No matter how much you love her and miss her, she wouldn’t want you to do this; she wouldn’t want you to put _yourself_ through this.”

“How would you know?” Stiles demands, but his voice is weak, tears trailing down his cheeks.

“Because I met her,” Frances answers as she pulls him into a hug. “She was a wonderful, caring woman, who was so very happy to have you. She would have done everything she could to keep you safe. We can do no less than that, in her memory.”

Stiles sobs and tangles his fingers in Frances’s robe, clutching at her. Gillian can’t not go to him, try to comfort him by running her fingers through his hair. “I miss her, too,” she says quietly. “She was one of my first real friends. She didn’t see an unwed pregnant girl. She just saw _me_ and that’s more precious to me than almost anything else.” She leans in, pressing her forehead against Stiles’s temple. “I wish she could see the man you’re becoming, I wish she could see how much you’ve learned since you came here, I wish she could see how smart you are. Wherever she is, she must be so proud of you because you know what?”

“What?” Stiles croaks out, turning his head and peeking at Gillian with one tear-reddened eye.

“You’re a fighter. You’re stubborn as hell and you don’t give up, especially when the people you love need you and I bet that was one of her favorite things about you.”

Stiles sniffles and reaches out, pulling Gillian into the hug. His sobs return, but Gillian just holds him, rocking gently from side to side. She wishes that Claudia was there with them, more than she ever has in the last two months since she and Stiles were reunited. Arms wrap around her and Stiles as Jet and Sally crowd in, as well. A soft breeze blows in from over the sea, the scent of sage making Gillian’s heart clench. Stiles’s breath stutters against her shoulder. The breeze brushes their cheeks before fading away, the scent of sage gone, too.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to do a fic about this almost from the moment I decided to write a Teen Wolf/Practical Magic crossover. I'm SO glad I waited until after I'd finished the main story, it gave me a much better understanding of the relationships between the characters so that I could do my best on this one. Thanks go to [IceBlueRose](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IceBlueRose/pseuds/IceBlueRose) for being such an awesome cheerleader and beta. I'M SORRY FOR YOUR FEELS, BB!


End file.
